1068 Living off the Land

Todd: So you said that you were just eating the local plants. You would actually forage or you would look for food. How did you stomach feel? Like you know, you went from eating processed food or Westernized food to eating just stuff straight from the ground. Like were you hungry all the time?

Steven: Actually, I wasn't hungry at all because whenever I saw some leaves that I could eat, I would just eat them. And of course with the time that we were hiking and going and looking for food, we were eating the food, while other people were trying to find food, they were also eating with the constant time of walking, at the same time eating, the hunger just disappears. And of course it was healthier for us. Most of our friends were actually losing their fat. They were actually becoming healthier. Their cheeks just turned from pale to colorful pink, and every body decided to actually go back their with their whole family.

Todd: That sounds really amazing. So how do people know about this? Is this something new that people just learn about, or is this like an old, ancient tradition that's been passed on from maybe the native population for years and years?

Steven: Actually, this place was actually founded by an American who retired in Costa Rica. He decided that people that are coming into Costa Rica, they are destroying the forest. They are destroying all this nature, and he decided that they need to show people why it is important to save nature, why it is important to protect animals, and why do we have to live between them, and with this he created this project that brings people in, so it wasn't more that twenty years that he created and more people are coming in. There are more people who are checking it out all the time.

Todd: Well, it sounds fantastic. I'd love to go myself.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

forage

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You actually forage for food.

When you forage for food, you search for it in a natural environment. Notice the following:

After the flood, people had to forage for food.

Birds are one of the easiest animals to see foraging for food.

processed food

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You went from eating processed food to foraging for food on the ground.

Processed food is food made by machines or food produced in a factory. Processed food often lasts longer than fresh food, but is not as healthy. Notice the following:

Poor people often eat more processed food because it is cheap.

Many health problems are caused by processed food.

pale

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His cheeks turned pale.

When something is pale it has no color. When people look pale, they do not look healthy. Notice the following:

After seeing the ghost, his face turned pale.

I look a little pale. I think I need some sun.

ancient tradition

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Is this an ancient tradition?

An ancient tradition is something people have done for centuries. Notice the following: